A reader asked for information on Carpenders Park Mansion.

Mr Neil Hamilton, of Rickmansworth writes: In reply to the appeal for information about Carpenders Park Mansion in your Nostalgia section in The Watford Observer, Friday, June 29, I hope the following will be of interest.

The mansion was located in Oxhey Lane, Oxhey, opposite Braziers Dairy which is situated at Carpenders Park farm. The mansion in the picture published was built in 1862/63 for Robert Russell Carew and his family. A mansion had previously existed on the site built for Samuel Moody in the late 1700's.

The mansion was built in the style of Osborne House on the Isle of Wight as were many other large houses of the period. It was in grounds of some 250 acres. There were two entrances to the house one via the existing entrance to Carpenders Park cemetery, across the river and up to the house. The other was a smaller entrance roughly opposite the dairy. Small lodges guarded both.

The house had large drawing rooms, dining rooms and a conservatory. The two main bedrooms were each more than 29ft long and there were 12 family bed and dressing rooms as well as staff rooms. A contemporary description of the house states that it was possible to see St Albans Abbey from the summit of the tower on a clear day.

There was a laundry, coach house and stabling, together with a kitchen garden and home farm. Some of the pleasure grounds still exist within the grounds of Carpenders Park cemetery, as do the remains of the tennis courts belonging to the house.

The Carew family were well known locally. Mr Carew was a JP and donated large amounts of money towards the building of St Matthew's Church. Mrs Carew planted the large cedar tree still outside the church. They had two sons and three daughters.

Two of the daughters married titled men. Mr Carew had made his money in India where he owned large sugar plantations and produced Carew's gin and rosa rum. "Carews booze" was a popular tipple with U.S B.29 bomber crews stationed in India during World War Two. Carews gin is still produced in Calcutta.

Mr Carew died in 1893, Mrs Carew died in 1909 both are buried in Watford cemetery and the house and grounds were put up for auction. The Penrose family who had just purchased the adjoining estate bought up much of the grounds. The contents of the house were sold over five days. On the first day, a stuffed reclining panther went under the hammer for £1. I then have a five-year gap in the history of the house until 1914 when Highfield girl's school moved out from Hendon and the house was renamed "Highfield". The school was very exclusive and for the "daughters of gentlefolk".

By the mid 1930's land around the school was being developed as the St Meryl estate and the school considered moving, no doubt encouraged by the war looming on the horizon. In 1939, the school moved back to the relatively safe countryside at Great Missenden. The house was requisitioned by the military and became part of the headquarters of anti aircraft command. I have contacted a number of ex-service personnel from the period and all have fond memories of the house. The Princess Royal visited the house in 1953.

By the mid 1950's the forces had moved out and the house fell derelict and was about to be returned to its owner, Mr Absalom, when the air ministry decided to make a compulsory purchase order in order to house U.S.A.F. personnel from Ruislip. In 1959, the house was sadly demolished and 70 married quarters built on the 11 acre site which in turn were demolished in 1997 to make way for the modern houses now on the site.

During excavations on the site it was found that the basements of the old house were still intact and were filled with rubble from the house, though little of interest was found, I have a couple of floor tiles and a forces issue tea spoon dated 1942. Nothing remains of the old house though the old bridge still exists within the cemetery and the cemetery wall bordering Oxhey Lane marked the boundaries of the grounds.

A sad end to a fine house though it went the way of many similar houses demolished in post-war years. Two of the roads on the new estate are named Carew Way and Highfield after the family and the mansion. My researches are continuing and I would be grateful to hear from anybody with other information on the house or the Carews.

August 17, 2001 13:54